THE JOURNAL
Cuba Gooding Jr and Ice Cube in Boyz N The Hood (1991). Photograph by Alamy
In honour of Black History Month, we asked inspiring Black creatives – spanning fashion, photography, acting, music and poetry – to share the movie that has had the biggest impact on their life and why it means so much to them.
01. KJ Moody, stylist
“The movie that changed my world growing up was Dreamgirls. I remember the first time I watched this movie in a Texas theatre, popcorn in my lap. I sat in amazement watching the story of young Black adults working their way to the top while stumbling through sexism, colourism, drugs and industry politics. Is that not a testament to the current climate of the world today? There's a moment when the girls are looking for a way to stand out in the crowd and they decide to wear wigs unconventionally: ‘Turn the wigs around!’ It exemplifies the innocence of not being afraid to stand out while having a nothing-to-lose spirit.
“There’s a scene when Beyoncé summons you in, ‘Come on, baby’, singing One Night Only, with her hair to the moon, psychedelic eye shadow, Swarovski crystal wide-leg Bob Mackie-inspired jumpsuit. And Jimmy Early, Eddie Murphy’s character, in a Gucci-inspired blue velvet suit with silk underwear and a tuxedo shirt. Now that is peak glamour. Those are moments I put into my styling today: texture, tailoring, colours and hair and makeup. Creating and executing a story and completing the vision is what Dreamgirls taught me. It was its own world and I wanted to be a permanent resident.”
02. Mitchell S Jackson, author
“The movie that has meant the most to me and my work is Boyz N The Hood, a drama directed by John Singleton about three young men living in South Central LA, whose intersecting lives take disparate paths. It came out in the summer of 1991 (I was headed into my junior year of high school) and, as far as I could tell, reflected the world I was navigating at the time: gangs, drugs and broken homes. But also, community love, a passion for sports, and the dream that education could catalyse change.
“One of the main characters in the film is a guy named Doughboy, played by a young Ice Cube. Towards the end of the film, Doughboy laments, ‘Either they don’t know, don’t show or don’t care about what’s going on in the hood.’ The line has stuck with me ever since. So much so that it has served as a kind of mantra for my literary work. For I am committed to illuminating the tolls of systemic racism, to providing intimate accounts of those who face oppression, to not only showing the hood, but revealing how hoods are coerced into being.”
03. NickyChulo, art director
“Hesher is a movie that shaped a few important parts of me. In totality, it’s a film about grief and loss. Our main character TJ loses his mother in a tragic car accident, leaving him and his father to figure out life without her. Our foil character Hesher turns their lives upside down in the most chaotic way and while he was something of a flaming hurricane, in the end burnt everything down in everyone’s lives to give way for new growth. As I was dealing with loss around this time, the film resonated with me and allowed me to open up a bit more in times of grief and misunderstanding. Movies give you the tools for life sometimes.”
04. Misan Harriman, photographer, filmmaker, entrepreneur, activist
“One film that that has had a profound effect on my life is Antwone Fisher, directed by Denzel Washington and starring Derek Luke. A film about facing the traumas of your childhood and learning that what was taken from you was never your fault.
“There are so many remarkable scenes in this film. One I think of often is when Antwone finally gets to see the mother (played by Viola Davis), who he hasn’t seen since he was a baby. Viola doesn’t say a word in the scene, but manages to completely break your heart. It’s an extraordinary acting performance and a really, really powerful example of how much children need love. I also love the poem scene, where he reads a poem written by himself to his psychiatrist, who’s actually played by Washington.
“If you are on a journey of self-love, self-healing and understanding that the abuses that you may have received as a young child were never your fault, please watch this film. In many ways, it saved me.”
05. Nicholas Daley, designer
Photograph by Mr Jack Orton
“Babylon by Franco Rosso is a film which showcases UK sound-system culture in London during the 1980s and also highlights the racial inequality within British society against the British Black community. Stylistically, it is amazing with the 1970s/early 1980s rude-boy style [worn] by the cast members, which has been a constant inspiration for my own research and collection designs. The soundtrack to the film – curated by lovers rock reggae legend Dennis Bovell, who I have had the honour of collaborating with in my collections and events – is also very special, weaving through many soundscapes that define the British Black experience.”
06. Francis Lovehall, actor
“When I first watched The Matrix, I wasn’t an actor. I was playing football. And I think that’s important because the reason it had such an impact on me is because it reminded me that, in order to find your purpose, there needs to be a level of self-reflection, of self-awareness and self-acceptance. Watching that film, seeing Neo go through that journey, the conflicts that he has to confront, it made me realise that this film was quite universal in the sense that we’re all going through something. And from our perspective, we’re all the protagonists of this story.
“But what’s important to remember is that we’re not an island. Neo is The One, but he’s not alone. And I think, not to get too sentimental, when I was growing up, I moved around a lot. I didn’t really feel stable. I wasn’t born in this country, I came from Jamaica at a young age and I felt like I didn’t know what home was. Watching The Matrix reminded me that home was wherever I was. Wherever my heart was. And whatever I gave love to.”
A Thousand Blows is on Disney+ from 21 February
07. David Jonsson, actor
“Mahogany (1975, directed by Berry Gordy). This was the second time I saw Diana Ross and Billy Dee Williams on screen, the first being Lady Sings The Blues, another special one to me. I’ll never forget my dad tearing up in that scene where Billy’s character, Brian, says to Diana’s Tracy: ‘Success is nothing without someone you love to share it with.’
“I’ve never set out to play it safe in my career. But you’ve got to learn the rules before you can break them, and for me, this is the rule. A perfect film. Full of heart, hope, humour and all the shades in between. And the soundtrack… C’mon – what’s not to love?”
The Road Trip is on Paramount+ now
08. James Massiah, poet, producer, rapper and DJ
“I’m a huge Quentin Tarantino fan and many of his films rank highly in my list of favourites. Most relevant would have to be True Romance (which I’m aware was directed by Tony Scott, but still has those classic Tarantino hallmarks of gratuitous violence, acerbic wit and great storytelling). I relate to so many of the characters, both heroic and villainous, mostly in this film though it’s Alabama, played by Patricia Arquette. She’s just trying to figure it out and gets it so wrong so often, but her heart is right there on her sleeve. You can’t help but to fall in love with her and empathise – seeing your own will represented in her character arc – perhaps most notably in that infamous scene with James Gandolfini. You’re hoping for her, but also hoping for yourself that, against all odds, life might just end up working out alright after all.”